Optimierung der Anhörungsverfahren im Planfeststellungsverfahren für Betriebsanlagen der Eisenbahnen des Bundes

The consultation procedure in planning approval under railway law poses challenges to all the parties involved, and its completion on time is the exception not the rule. In this study, on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), the authors analyse the causes of problems in this respect and identify ways of optimising the procedure’s process and organisation.
The procedure is prolonged by legal (e.g. the increased requirements of environmental laws) and factual issues, such as a lack of personnel and some authorities’ insufficient personnel resources, a lack of consultation, unclear divisions of labour and the duplication of efforts by authorities responsible for planning approval and consultation. This report suggests ways of optimising nationwide process and procedural standards, planning processes and quality assurance, and explains selected steps in the procedure using guidelines.